Tag Archives: iPad magazine apps

Smithsonian Magazine for iPad

Smithsonian Magazine for iPad was released last night and is available in the iPad App Store now. It’s a Newsstand compatible version of Smithsonian Magazine – that includes every story, department, and photo – plus a healthy dose of iPad exclusive content.

Existing print subscribers to the magazine get free access to issues they have already bought, beginning with the January 2012 issue – this is always a good starting point to see, when publishers reward the loyalty of their print subscribers. The app itself is free and individual issues (available via In-App purchase) cost $3.99. There are also subscription plans available at $1.99 for one month and $19.99 for one year (11 issues).

Here’s a little detail on the quality content offered by the magazine:

Smithsonian Magazine brings history, science, nature, culture and travel to you:

* Explore history and archaeology from the Sphinx to Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War.

* Catch up on the latest science from wildlife to evolution and the solar system.

* Travel to the best places from Petra to Prague. Stop at art museums and cultural treasures along the way!

The publishers were kind enough to comp me a subscription, and I installed the app last night. I’ve only had a very quick browse through the current issue thus far, but it looks like a very good iPad edition. I’ll spend more time with it soon and I plan to review it fairly soon as well.

Here’s an App Store link for Smithsonian Magazine.

Google Currents Out Now in iPad App Store – Google’s Answer to Flipboard?

December 8, 2011 Patrick Jordan 6 Comments

Google Currents is Google’s new Flipboard-style news magazine for the iPad, iPhone and Android devices. I say Flipboard style because that seems to be the comparison lots of people are making in initial responses to its release. Here’s a slice of how Google themselves describe the new app on the Google Mobile Blog:

We strive to give you beautiful and simple ways to experience all the content the web has to offer, such as sharing photos on Google+, watching YouTube videos and discovering books, movies and music from Android Market. Today we’re expanding our content offering with the introduction of Google Currents, a new application for Android devices, iPads and iPhones that lets you explore online magazines and other content with the swipe of a finger.

They’ve partnered with over 150 publishers to offer full-length articles – publishers that include CNET, AllThingsD, Forbes, PBS and more big names. There’s also some sort of self-service platform for publishers.

I’m a huge fan of Flipboard and of iPad magazines in general, so of course I installed Google Currents as soon as I saw it mentioned earlier today. I’ve only spent a very short while with it so far, but I’ve got some quick notes and thoughts on it – hit the break for those and a couple more screenshots …

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iPad Apps

Editions for iPad Updated, Adds Landscape Support

October 10, 2011 Patrick Jordan

Editions by AOL, one of the newer iPad-only magazine titles, got an update this weekend – to Version 1.1.5.

The most notable change this update brings is support for landscape mode – so you can now read Editions in both portrait and landscape mode. This is a welcome addition – as I believe it is a very dumb decision for almost any iPad eBook, magazine, or newspaper title to limit readers to just one orientation.

Here are the remaining items on the change list for this new version:

• LinkedIn integration – you can now connect your LinkedIn account to Editions and share articles to LinkedIn.

• Improved stability and bug fixes throughout the app.

And here’s an App Store link for Editions; it’s a free app.

iPad Apps

AOL Editions iPad Magazine Adds New Content Sections

September 2, 2011 Patrick Jordan

Editions by AOL – the newest iPad-only magazine, released in early August – has added new content this week.

There are now three new content sections available – Pets, Gaming, and Automotive.

Editions lets you personalize and customize the content you see by choosing which sections you want to see, what order you want to see them in, and in various other clever ways.

I haven’t had a chance to look at the three new sections yet, as they will only show up in the next daily edition once chosen, but I’m happy to see the magazine adding content.

Editions was our choice for Best Free iPad of the Week recently – check that post out to see more details on it.

Here’s an App Store link for Editions – it’s still a free app.

iPad App Reviews, News

Editions by AOL – New iPad Magazine Looks Promising

August 3, 2011 Patrick Jordan 3 Comments

Editions by AOL is a new iPad-only magazine from the folks who pioneered CDs as coasters for our coffee mugs. It’s the latest social, highly customizable news magazine style app for the iPad, following in the footsteps of Flipboard and others that have lead the way in this category.

Here’s a little of its App Store intro:

Editions by AOL is a beautiful, new, daily magazine that reads you.
It learns what you like (and what you don’t) and delivers a magazine that’s personalized just for you, each and every day. … Whether you’re into Entertainment, Tech, or Fashion, or just want to keep up with business news or local happenings, Editions connects you with the best stories that match your interests.

I’ve been trying out Editions today and I have to say I’m quite impressed so far. Right from first launch it prompts you to start personalizing it by connecting to Facebook, Twitter and AOL/AIM (does anyone really still use those?).

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iPad Apps

The New Yorker’s iPad Subscription, Readership Numbers Looking Good

August 1, 2011 Patrick Jordan 2 Comments

As The New York Times reported this weekend, things are looking good for The New Yorker’s iPad edition. Here are some of the numbers reported for The New Yorker Magazine for iPad:

— 100,000 iPad readers

— 20,000 subscribers at $59.99 per year.

— 75,000 who have taken up the magazine’s offer for print subscribers to download the app for free

— Several thousand more people buy single issues at $4.99 per week.

These are said to be the best numbers for any Condé Nast iPad edition – ahead of Wired, GQ, Vanity Fair and others.

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iPad Apps

CFG: Cosmo for Guys Launches on the iPad

August 1, 2011 Patrick Jordan

CFG: Cosmo for Guys is the latest new title from the publishers of Cosmopolitan, the popular women’s magazine. Interestingly, the title appears to be another iPad-only magazine from a top-drawer publisher.

Here’s a little intro from Cosmopolitan themselves on the new title:

Conceived and executed by Cosmopolitan editors, the worldwide authority on women, love and sex, CFG is packed with original and highly interactive content geared just for men.

“The idea for CFG really came from men themselves,” said Editor-in-Chief Kate White. “They frequently tell us that they love reading Cosmo because they’re fascinated about what makes females tick, and they want to know how to better please the women in their life. We wanted to come to their rescue and take out the guess work. Women are the real experts on the subject.”

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iPad Apps

National Geographic Magazine for iPad Now Offering Subscriptions

July 21, 2011 Patrick Jordan 1 Comment

National Geographic Magazine for iPad is now offering subscriptions. It’s the latest big mainstream title to offer an iPad edition subscription model – and the pricing looks quite reasonable.

Here are the subscription levels and details:

Annual subscription: $19.99 (12 issues)
Monthly subscription: $1.99/month (1 issue)
Single issues: $4.99/issue
Back issues of National Geographic magazine are available starting with our February 2011 issue.

The big miss here of course is the lack of any sort of discount or combo offer for National Geographic print subscribers (which a number of other blue-chip titles have offered). That’s not a good move, and hopefully the publishers will address this soon.

Here’s an App Store link for the iPad edition of National Geographic Magazine; it’s a free app with In-App purchase offers as detailed above.

iPad Apps, iPad Newspapers and Magazines

3 Strikes and PROJECT Magazine Is Out

July 5, 2011 Patrick Jordan 7 Comments

PROJECT Magazine for iPad has always proclaimed itself to be right at the leading edge of iPad publications. In sports parlance, it has always talked a very big talk. And for me, it has mostly failed to walk the walk. I’ve stuck with the magazine (on and off, not purchasing every issue) through seven issues, and now I’m done with it. I’ve found it disappointing in too many ways, and I’ve also found it continues to fail to live up to its own big promises.

Here are the main three strikes I have against Project Magazine:

1) When it launched it promised not to be a static monthly title, like a print issue. It was a ‘created for the iPad’ title that specifically touted itself thusly:

PROJECT is a monthly magazine that will change daily, hourly – minute by minute at times – to give its global audience of early adopters a month of entertainment for less than the price of a decent cup of coffee.

This has never happened at all with Project. It is a static monthly title, with no major content updates at all between monthly issue releases. It has never even come close to living up to those words.

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iPad Apps

Flipboard Updated – Adds Content Guide, Linked In Integration and More

June 30, 2011 Patrick Jordan 1 Comment

Flipboard – the brilliant and popular social news magazine iPad app – has had a major update today. The new version is 1.5, and one of the biggest additions in it is a new Content Guide.

The Content Guide is described as an easy way to flip to anything that interests you at anytime. It’s implemented as a red ribbon at the top right of Flipboard screens; you tap on it to search for people, topics, or blogs you’re interested in. Or just browse through the built-in Flipboard sections and suggested content. You can also now add any section you enjoy as a favorite with a single tap.

Another notable new feature in this 1.5 update is Linked In integration – offering access to more than 30 industry feeds and more from the leading business-focused social network.

Here’s the full change list for this latest Flipboard update:

★ Content Guide. Tap on the red ribbon to instantly access all your social networks, favorite sections, and a wide range of beautiful featured content. You can also search for any people, publications, websites or topics, such as National Geographic, Design or Ashton Kutcher.
★ Favorites. Save any section as a Favorite on Flipboard, even after you’ve filled up your first two pages. You can access the entire list in your Content Guide.
★ LinkedIn. The largest network of your trusted professional contacts is now on Flipboard. Add LinkedIn to create an industry magazine for reading what your contacts have shared, as well as news from over 40 industries with LinkedIn Today.
★ Popular. Popular stories are highlighted, making it easy to discover great articles being read on Flipboard.
★ Speed. Flipping is faster and diving into stories is more streamlined. A single tap gets you to the article, social interactions are now at the bottom of the page, and now you can flip from one story to the next to keep reading between articles, photos, and updates from friends.

I’ve only just applied the update a short while ago, but the new Content Guide stuff looks very nice. Flipboard in an outstanding app, one of the most innovative and iPad-like apps released on the iPad App Store. This update just helps cement its deserved reputation as the best iPad news / magazine title we’ve seen yet.

Here’s an App Store link for Flipboard; it’s a free app.

iPad App Reviews, News

OC Register for iPad: Local Newspaper Shows The Big Guys How To Do an iPad Edition

April 21, 2011 Patrick Jordan 4 Comments

OC Register for iPad is the iPad edition of the Orange County Register local newspaper. In amidst the big national titles on the iPad, it’s a ‘little’ title with big ambitions. In the welcome note to readers for the iPad edition, the editor promises:

We have taken a different path from others. What you see is not the newspaper in tablet form, but a new ,more lively, entertaining, and engaging experience.

That’s quite a bold statement, especially from a local newspaper. I’m a big follower of newspaper and magazine titles for the iPad, so any time I see an iPad edition with these sort of strong ambitions I’m interested straight away, excited even to see if the title can live up to them.

So I’ve been checking out the OC Register for iPad over the last couple of days – and I’m impressed …

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